Final Flight
by Sirius Dogstar
Summary: Cid Highwind is taken on the ride of his life after Meteor... but will this be his final flight? Rated PG for quite a few swear words and a bit of fighting.


I hope that you enjoy this fic. This is all about Cid, and the kind of character he really is. Or at least as I saw him. Anyways enjoy! Oh and remember since this is about Cid it has a few swear words. Okay, well maybe not just a few… Anyway this is the first story in the Avalanche series. Enjoy! siriusstar13@yahoo.com mailto:siriusstar13@yahoo.com  
  
  
  
Final Flight  
  
By Sirius  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
The End of a Journey  
  
"Oh shit!!!" Cid shouted, as the blinding light filled his vision. A light so bright, he decided to pull down his goggles. He watched below him as the green of the lifestream encircled the energy threatening to destroy not only Midgar, but the entire world! Before, he would not have given a damn so long as he was safe in the air with his Tiny Bronco. Hell! Forget the damn town and the moron bitch Shera he would have said then. But that was then. He sighed as he thought upon his comrades that now were shielding themselves from the light.  
  
"Damn them all they made me an old softy," he said quietly to himself. Cloud had shown him not to live his life in the past, in a time when he was going to be the first astronaut. No, the spiky-headed kid had shown him just how important the present really was. Life was too precious to drown in memories. Barret had shown Cid that having the big guns, the tough talk, and the balls of steel wasn't everything. It was not worth fighting if you had nothing to fight for! Then there was Tifa had shown him that appearances were not everything. Hell when they first met he had thought her a fussy, cissy girl. Boy has she shown him! Then there was that damn annoying Yuffie. He learned real quick that one must always look after their valuables! Red XIII had proven that a friend and hero can be found in the strangest places, even inside a furred hide! Then there was Vincent, always off by himself in the corner. But he was always a good fighter and colleague in battle, one you could count on. Who else? Ah yes there always was…  
  
"CRAP!!!" he shouted as an all too familiar face came into vision. There was Aeris, looking exactly the same as she before that damn Sephiroth impaled her. He had been with Cloud that fateful day, and every time he had thought of her he saw the masasume blade within her, the serene look on her face. Now though she wore a calm smile, a green aura of light surrounding her amber hair now retied in a pretty little pink bow. Her intense green eyes looked into Cid's blue ones, and she smiled.  
  
"I guess now I can finally get that ride aboard the Highwind you always wanted me to have," she said. Cid could tell however that although her mouth moved the words were unspoken. She was talking into his mind!  
  
"Aeris!" he tried to say, but to his surprise he found himself speaking the same way she had to him. He looked around him to find himself looking directly at himself. He was hovering in the lifestream with her! "DAMN!" he shouted.  
  
"Oh Cid… do not worry," Aeris said to him softly.  
  
"Do not worry?" he shouted. "I am down there! I am down there not up here! I am down there! Damn it!" He collapsed to his knees, staring at himself now crumpled on the floor. "I knew I was old but damn it I wasn't that old! I don't want to be dead! I never told Shera I was sorry and…"  
  
"Cid, you are not dead," Aeris said setting a soft hand on his shoulder.  
  
"What do you mean? How could I not be? I am in the fucking lifestream Aeris!"  
  
"Yes, that is true Cid. I needed to talk to you personally. I have a proposition to make and the others cannot interfere. This is to be your decision and nobody else's." He looked up at her, and noticed that she had a serious look on her face. She lent him her hand, and helped him get back to his feet.  
  
"Damn this must be serious. But fire away Aeris!" Aeris sighed, and folded her arms.  
  
"For my sacrifice, I have been given the chance to return to Earth. But to do so I must draw energy from another…"  
  
"Why me Aeris?" he asked.  
  
"Cid… I honestly do not know the reasons. But I was led to you, and you were the one to see me." Cid frowned, unsure.  
  
"Aeris what does this whole thing entail? I mean do you have to take my life to live or what?" Aeris shook her head as if surprised that Cid would even suggest such a thing.  
  
"Not at all Cid! What I meant was that in order to have a physical form I would have to share your energy. We would be linked, but separate. It is complicated…"  
  
"I understand," he said with a nod. "Hell after what you did for us it is the least that I can do Aeris! What must I do?" Aeris smiled, her eyes shining.  
  
"Oh Cid thank you!" she shouted, throwing her arms around him. In that moment of embrace, Cid saw Aeris's face and features mature; It was if he was so old that just his touch had aged her a few years. Not many, but a few. Yet at the same time he felt himself gaining strength. He watched in a glass pane as several wrinkles disappeared. He looked well…younger.  
  
"You're welcome Aeris," he said, looking himself over. "I am…"  
  
"We are the same age now," she said. "Making you about Shera's age," she added with a wink. "But you may not tell any of the others exactly what you have done here today for me or I shall have to leave again." Cid nodded, and gave Aeris a wink.  
  
"I promise, and I am a man of my word Aeris. Now as nice as this has been and all…" she nodded, and before Cid could pull his goggles on he found a green light blind his senses. It was warm…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was if no time had passed at all. Cid stood back up, the white light still strong. But he smiled as he noticed a slender hand beside him. "Welcome back Cid," she said. "I can't thank you enough for well… everything." She had spoken again with her mind, despite her being beside him.  
  
"You just did," he replied in the same unspoken way. "Now let's watch the best damn fireworks ever!" She nodded and they both looked down from the airship as the green light met the purple. The green covered the entire earth, until the celestial magics were both encased. Cid smiled as he saw the purple light dissipate into a million scattered particles. The light faded, so that all could see the retreating lifestream as it returned to the earth. But along the way, Cid noticed the organic life spring back as if nothing had ever happened. But would that mean everyone? Even AVALANCHE? As long as Rufus and Sephiroth remained dead, Cid did not care.  
  
"It is so beautiful," Tifa said with a sigh.  
  
"Yes," Cloud said. "I only wish that Aeris could have seen this…" Tifa noticed the tear in Cloud's eye and was about to hug him when she heard a familiar voice say,  
  
"But I can see it Cloud," Aeris said with a warm smile.  
  
"AERIS!" everyone said at the same moment except for a smiling Cid and an offed Tifa.  
  
"Oh Aeris!" Cloud yelled, throwing his arms around her. "I missed you so much! Oh Aeris!"  
  
"But how?" Tifa asked.  
  
"Should we question a miracle?" Red asked. "After all I miss those nose rubs!" Vincent frowned.  
  
"It is good to see Aeris but how do we know it is her? She looks older," he pointed out.  
  
"Do we really care?" Cloud asked holding her tighter. "All that matters is that she is back!"  
  
"Well I for one am curious!" Yuffie said with a pout.  
  
"I was returned home… the experience however aged me a bit," she said. "I hope that doesn't matter to all of you…" Cloud smiled.  
  
"Of course it doesn't!" he said, tears in his eyes. "But I have learned a few things Aeris and there is one thing I have to tell you."  
  
"What is that Cloud?" Aeris asked, a hopeful gleam in her eyes.  
  
"Would you mind being the girlfriend of such a dumbass? I mean I almost lost you forever without getting to tell you that I love you!"  
  
"Nothing could make me happier!" she said.  
  
"Aww… ain't this great Tifa?" Barret asked.  
  
"Peachy," she muttered.  
  
"Great news too!" Red added. "The world is alive! We did it!" Yuffie cheered, throwing her Conformer and catching it with ease.  
  
"Yeah! All right! Yes!" But there was one in the party who was not smiling or celebrating. Vincent regarded Cid with a questioning eye, wondering how the others could have missed the new look.  
  
"Cid… is there something we should know?" he asked.  
  
"I just stood a bit too close to the lifestream Vincent and it splashed me… that's all," Cid said with a shrug. Vincent shook his head, not in the least bit convinced.  
  
"I of all should know when a man is lying Cid. I was a Turk elite remember?"  
  
"Yes I know," Cid said shaking his head. "It's all we know of you Vincent. A man is entitled to his secrets and you of all people should appreciate that." Vincent shook his head.  
  
"If there is one thing that all of you has taught me it is that no man is an island. You are the one friend I have received from this… the only one who accepted me as I came. You always were straightforward with me… you never lied before. Now let us try this again Cid Highwind… what happened?" Cid shook his head.  
  
"Vincent I cannot…"  
  
"DAMN IT CID!" Vincent roared with anger, drawing attention away from even Aeris. "I WANT AN ANSWER AND I WANT IT NOW!!!" Cid however stood tall, and shook his head again.  
  
"Vincent I…"  
  
"NO MORE CID!" he shouted, and Cid noticed fangs extend from Vincent's mouth. The pale skin became a deep ebony, and wings emerged from the back. But it was the clenched hand that was now a claw that worried Cid. "NO MORE LIES!" Vincent yelled, his heated breath rolling upon Cid's body. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND AND NOW YOU WILL NOT EVEN TELL ME THE TRUTH!" Cid however did not even flinch.  
  
"Vincent, I can't tell you anything I haven't already except that I consider you my best friend as well," he said calmly.  
  
"CID!" Aeris yelled to him mentally. "Cid just tell him before you get hurt!"  
  
"I am a man of my word," he told her.  
  
"DAMN CID! THIS COULD BE SERIOUS AND YOU WILL NOT EVEN TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED! ONE MORE TIME CID: WHAT HAPPENED?"  
  
"Vincent please calm down." Cloud said, his hand on his sword hilt.  
  
"Talk this through Vinnie," Yuffie said.  
  
"Yes I know you can work this out," Red said.  
  
"Can't you just tell him what he wants Cid?" Barret asked. "Those claws are pretty damn sharp!"  
  
"I am a man of my word," Cid said shaking his head. "I am sorry Vincent but that is the way it is."  
  
"DAMN YOU!" Vincent roared. In a split second, Vincent picked up Cid in a massive hand. Blood ran through his fingers, drawing a cry from Aeris.  
  
"CID!" she shouted to him.  
  
"I won't tell," he said back. "I promised." He looked up at the red eyes of Chaos, of Vincent. "I am sorry that I am not a good friend to you but I can't tell," he said aloud.  
  
This drew a roar of anger from Vincent. With a single throw, he tossed Cid against the glass of a window. "CAPTAIN!" the crew said from the console as Cid shattered the glass and disappeared out of sight. Vincent then looked at his empty hand, and the blood running down it. In an instant he was human again, and running for the window with tears in his eyes. It was the first time that any of them had seen Vincent cry.  
  
"CID!" he shouted. "CID!" The wind threatened to throw them all outside, but Vincent pulled closer. "Can you hear me Cid? I am sorry!" Could his anger have killed off the one person that he actually considered a friend? He pulled around the window, only to find an unconscious Cid hanging by his flight jacket on the wing. Vincent knew the old jacket would not hold Cid that long. Already the pilot's gloves had fallen off, his goggles as well.  
  
"Vincent! Don't do it!" Aeris said.  
  
"It is my fault he is out there," Vincent said, walking outside. He donned the wings of Chaos, allowing him to fly to the captain's aid. "Cid? Are you alive? Cid?" He picked Cid up by the collar, just as the jacket fell to the grounds below. "Oh please Cid I… you just can't die on me now! Not after everything that we have seen! Not after JENOVA and Sephiroth! Cid please answer me!" He rolled Cid around to find the claws marks that nearly impaled Cid. He had a giant bruise on his head from where he had hit the wing, his arms were clearly broken as well as his legs, and across his face was a gash that tore through his eye and down his cheek much like Red's scar.  
  
"Hang on Cid," Vincent said, and with a mighty claw cut himself on the arm. He set the blood inside the wound closest to Cid's heart. He watched as the wounds all closed up, as he knew they would. "Hang in there Cid," Vincent said. "I will make sure this will not be your last flight."  
  
Chapter One  
  
The Heart of a Hero  
  
Cid knew that he was not awake yet, and that this was all just some dream. He stood a torn mess himself, nothing left to show he was a pilot. "Damn it I look like some civilian," he muttered. "What I would not give for my flight jacket. Am I dead? Man I just cannot believe Vincent would do this to me. I thought we were friends…"  
  
"Cid… you did not see what happened afterwards," said a voice which drew shivers down Cid's spine.  
  
"SEPHIROTH!" Cid yelled, clenching his fists.  
  
"The one and only," Sephiroth said as he faded into sight. "Look I…"  
  
"DAMN YOU SEPHIROTH!" Cid yelled, making a lunge for Sephiroth.  
  
"Stop," Sephiroth said, fingering the material in his masasume blade. Cid found himself stopped in midswing, paralyzed to the spot. He could not even talk, or else he would have made sure Sephiroth's ears bled from the profanity.  
  
"Sorry Cid but we need to talk. Vincent I saw is a better friend than anyone! He accepted what he did, and he felt sorry for it. You were hanging off of the wing by that flight jacket. He alone risked his life to save you, and even gave you a bit of his own blood so that you would heal and not feel the pain."  
  
'He did that?' Cid thought. 'I never would have guessed. But why would Sephiroth tell me this?'  
  
"Cid now not only are you bound to Aeris but you are bound to Vincent as well. I came here for a reason though. Like Aeris I have been offered another chance. Cid… I can feel your hatred of me even now. But would you deny another human being the right to live?"  
  
'You are not even human Sephiroth! Just some JENOVA infused…'  
  
"Like Cloud is," Sephiroth said.  
  
'You can hear me?'  
  
"Yes Cid. But Cloud and I were not the only victims. What do you think happened to Vincent?"  
  
'Vincent? He never mentioned JENOVA…'  
  
"No, and now that same blood is within you as well. Cid, I am as human as you are."  
  
'Human? You are an inhuman monster who killed even your own followers!'  
  
"I was," Sephiroth said bowing his head. "I was driven insane by my own power. But now I am very much sane again. Please… I am begging you!" Cid watched amazed as Sephiroth bent down on one knee.  
  
"But what of…"  
  
"Aeris will not be bound to me since she is bound to you. Only the two of us."  
  
'Damn is this some kind of Cid buffet. Why not ask Cloud? You two were old chums!'  
  
"You already know the process Cid. Now I beg of you… let me have another chance!"  
  
'Oh damn man… it was not this hard with Aeris. But… all right Sephiroth. Just do it but be gone all right?" Sephiroth nodded, removing the spell from Cid.  
  
"Do we have to hug or something?" Cid asked.  
  
"A simple handshake will do," Sephiroth said.  
  
"All right then. But this does not mean that I forgive you. Understand?"  
  
"I would not have it any other way!" Cid took the outreached hand, and found himself thrown aback by the massive wave of power.  
  
"Thank you…." Cid heard Sephiroth say as the darkness enclosed the pilot again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Shera… I am sure that he will be all right," Vincent said, setting his normal hand upon her shoulder. "Cid is a true survivor!" She nodded, pushing up her glasses so she cold wipe a tear from her face.  
  
"I know that Vincent… I know. Thank you though for being here for him, and for me as well."  
  
"Think nothing of it," Vincent said. It had now been more then a week that the pilot was out. Vincent had never left his side, never even blinked. He had noticed a disturbance only once as Cid had become even younger looking. But if Cid wanted it a secret then…  
  
"No signs of life yet?" asked Cloud. Wait, when did he come in?  
  
"How did you get in?" Vincent asked, although not in a mean way.  
  
"The door was open," Cloud said with a shrug.  
  
"Oh… that was me," Shera said. "I thought the air would do Cid good. But so far nothing."  
  
"Well, Cid will pull through this mishap. Anyways, I brought him something. Everyone pitched in a bit…" Cloud walked up to Cid's bed, and set a bundle down on the nightstand.  
  
"What is it?" Vincent asked.  
  
"A new jacket, some gloves, and a pair of goggles to match his old ones," Cloud said with a smile. "Although it was a real pain in the ass to get them!"  
  
"I know he will appreciate it," Shera said.  
  
"We also brought Cid some homemade food I made," Aeris said, coming in with a basket in her hands. "I bet you now that any moment…"  
  
"Damn I feel awful," Cid moaned, clutching his head. He sat up, shocked by the number of faces above him. "Are you guys having a party or something?"  
  
"These are all for you Cid," Aeris said with a smile, indicating the presents.  
  
"You deserve them old friend," Vincent said, even though Cid now looked to be in his late twenties. "I am so sorry for everything!" Cid nearly wet himself as Vincent enclosed him in huge arms. Cid blushed, and after a hesitant moment returned the embrace.  
  
"AWW… how sweet!" Cloud said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Vincent with emotions. This will take some getting used to!"  
  
"But what now guys?" Cid asked once Vincent had let go. "I mean after you save the world what is there left?"  
  
"Mayor Reeve has planned for a major Midgar celebration once you were awake. Now we can all get together and celebrate!"  
  
"Wait a second… Reeve is a mayor now?" Cid asked confused.  
  
"Of course! But you can catch up on things at the party!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"All is going according to plan," Sephiroth said with a smile. "I can feel now that Cid is awake and we can move forward with our plans. I knew the damn fool would fall for it!"  
  
"What did I tell you?" asked Rufus. "They all think that I am dead! Even those Turks who could not even kill the rebels think I am dead!" He stood upright, unscathed except for a huge gash across his forehead. "But I am so very much alive thanks to you Sephiroth. But I wonder… just what will you do with the old pilot now?" Sephiroth smiled, running his fingers down the masasume.  
  
"I think he could prove to be quite useful to us Rufus. He is a lot younger now then he was, and he has half of the strength I did added to his own. I think he could prove to be a useful Turk or something."  
  
"But Cid would not betray his friends Sephiroth. He hates all of us. Why would he ever work for us?"  
  
"Trust me on this one Rufus. I am the only Turk you have now, the only one that knows you are even alive. I could just…"  
  
"All right I see your point. Do what you wish with the pilot, I do not care. The only one of them I care about is Cloud. I want to see his head in my trophy room, his sword in my hands. I do not care how it is done Sephiroth!" The silver haired man smiled, a cruel smile at best.  
  
"I will make this one party they will never forget," Sephiroth said.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Welcome one and all to the AVALANCHE ball!" Mayor Reeve said with a smile, met with a thunderous round of applause. "We are all here to celebrate AVALANCHE for saving our world from certain destruction! Here is the leader… Cloud Strife!" Cloud steeped forward to the podium, a wide smile across his face.  
  
"Thank you everyone!" he said waving a hand.  
  
"What a ham," Tifa muttered.  
  
"I'm loving it!" Barret said, smiling down at all of the ladies.  
  
"I want to introduce you to the rest of the gang! This is my lovely girlfriend Aeris Gainsborough!" Aeris stood up, waving. She walked over to Cloud as she waved, and he took her into his arms and kissed her to receive whoops and hollers from the crowd.  
  
"Next there is Barret, and ladies this stud is single!" Barret stood up as well, showing off his gunarm with a flourish.  
  
"Believe me ladies… I am loaded," he said as he joined the rest at the podium. He noticed with glee as several of the ladies actually fainted and swooned.  
  
"Then there is our youngest member… Yuffie! Just watch out for your material when she's around!" Yuffie stood up to join the others, a sheepish grin on her face.  
  
"Next there is the lovely Tifa… our dynamite. Believe me, those fists pack a punch!" Tifa stood up, and did a few punches in the air against an imaginary opponent.  
  
'How I would love to punch you Cloud,' she thought with jealousy.  
  
"Then we have our fireball, Red XIII!" Red stood up, and as he stood beside the others, Aeris gave him a little noserub. He purred with contentment, wishing the moment never would end.  
  
"Our own Mayor Reeve's robot Cait Sith!" Cait Sith waved as the mog walked to the platform, before reaching up and giving Aeris a hug.  
  
"Next we have Vincent. Though he may look scary, he is a great ally and friend!" Vincent stepped up and gave a respectful nod to the crowd before standing beside the others.  
  
"But then we have the true hero of the day who flew the plane out of some very tight spots… Cid Highwind!" Cid stepped up, dresses in his new gear. He looked every bit of the pilot he was. He stepped beside Vincent, and the two hugged once again.  
  
"We pay respect to our fallen comrades: Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie," Cloud added solemnly, bowing his head for a moment of silence. "We all bear the scars of the journey, we all learned from it as well. But now I believe you are all ready for a party!" This brought up a series of cheers, as the gang left the podium to join in on the fun. A band played in the background, and there was food of all kinds. A real shindig!  
  
Cid made his way to Shera, and took her in his arms. "Shiela, I have something to ask you," he said solemnly.  
  
"Yes?" she asked.  
  
"Will you…"  
  
"Hey there Romeo!" a familiar voice interrupted. Cid turned to find the former Turks, even Tseng who he would have thought for sure was dead after Sephiroth had attacked him. Tseng and Elena were hand in hand, smiling. Rude stood beside Reno, who was smirking. He knew it had been Reno who had interrupted.  
  
"Well hey yourself," he said laughing. "You damn people just keep living!"  
  
"No… we are just lucky," Tseng said.  
  
"Extremely so," Elena said, moving closer to Tseng.  
  
"All is as it should be!" Rude said. "Up for some drinks Reno?"  
  
"You know it!" Reno said, following his friend to the bar where Tifa was personally serving up the drinks since she had after all at one time owned her own bar.  
  
"I think that I am the luckiest damn man in the world," Cid said hugging Shiela. "How could things go wrong?"  
  
"Never say that," Vincent said from behind Cid. "I don't want this to end…"  
  
"Sorry man, neither do I!" Cid said. "Damn it this is too perfect! I have the girl I love and…" He stopped in midsentence as a gunshot rang out from the crowd. Cid collapsed to the floor, red blossoming from his shirt.  
  
"Cid!" Shera yelled, but she was knocked aside by a stranger in the crowd. In fact, Cid saw all of his friends thrown to the side as the strangers closed in around him.  
  
"Damn it guys too close!" Cid said. "Shera? Vincent?" But they could not see him or come to his aid at all.  
  
"You need not worry about them any more Cid," Sephiroth said. But from where? One of the strangers pulled off a black wig and a mask to show Sephiroth.  
  
"Sephiroth!" Cid yelled. "Damn it you tricked me!"  
  
"Not at all Cid. I am returning things to what they were… with Rufus in charge. Consider it a favor what I am about to do…" Cid found a massive blade lodge into his chest, knocking him out instantly as he whispered,  
  
"Shera…"  
  
Meanwhile, Shera was helped back onto her feet by Vincent. "Are you all right?" he asked her.  
  
"Yes," she said hesitantly. "But where is Cid?"  
  
"I do not know," Vincent admitted. "Him and the strangers are all gone. We must tell the others before…"  
  
"You do not think that he is danger do you?" she asked.  
  
"Almost assuredly," he replied. With a single jump he leapt onto the podium, where a startled band just stared at him in shock.  
  
"Sorry," he said, reaching for one of the microphones. The band stopped, drawing the attention of everyone to the stage.  
  
"Vincent?" Cloud yelled. "Is everything all right?"  
  
"No!" Vincent replied. "Cid has been taken!" This drew a wide series of gasps and screams. The people who had not run after the gunshot were running now, until only AVALANCHE was left there along with Shera and Reeve.  
  
"But how? By who?" Aeris asked.  
  
"I do not know," Vincent said shaking his head. "What I do know is that we must find him and do it soon!"  
  
"This way!" Red said, his nose to the ground.  
  
"You never told us you were a bloodhound Red," Yuffie said with a giggle.  
  
"Yuffie this is no laughing matter!" Vincent yelled. "Shera I suggest you return home," he said turning to the young woman at his side. Shera shook her head.  
  
"No Vincent, I am coming too!" Vincent nodded.  
  
"Then stay close… we do not know what they have planned." Shera nodded, and with the remaining AVALANCHE members walked out to find Cid.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Sephiroth…" Cid said between gritted teeth when he awoke. "You lied to me! You tricked me you bastard!"  
  
"Enough with the profanity Mr. Highwind," Rufus said, appearing behind Sephiroth. Had Cid not been bound to his chair, he would have lunged at Rufus.  
  
"You bastard! You are alive!"  
  
"Did you think a mere explosion would do me in? Please! I intend with Sephiroth here to regain my status, and make this world like it was!"  
  
"What do you want with me asshole?" Cid asked, clenching his fists.  
  
"Sephiroth thought you would prove to be valuable to us. You see he is my first new Turk."  
  
"Are you insane or something dumbass? Did it prove nothing to you when he stabbed me in the back? This damn traitor is about as trustworthy as a well… as you are!" Rufus smiled, running his hand through his blond hair.  
  
"I am aware of Sephiroth's qualities Mr. Highwind. But I still have him here do I not?"  
  
"Dumbass. Stupid jackass! What makes you think I would be with you huh?"  
  
"Aeris," Rufus said with a smile. "If you die, so too does she. If you do not agree to become a Turk then we will kill you and in return Aeris."  
  
"You wouldn't" Cid said between clenched teeth. "Sephiroth would die too!"  
  
"Yes, a part of him would. But I also helped bring him back, so he would still live. Now what do you have to say Mr. Highwind?"  
  
"Make it a good decision as Aeris depends on it!" Sephiroth said laughing. Cid sighed, and hung his head.  
  
"That is not much of a choice then is it?" he asked. "What can I say?"  
  
"You have one hour to decide Cid. We shall be back." Cid watched the pair leave, and howled out with frustration. What could he do? Aeris's life was in his hands. Yet if he agreed… oh this was a damn fine mess to get involved in. He didn't know what was worse: the Meteor crisis or this!  
  
"Damn it all I want to live a normal life. Why is this all happening to me? I am just a damn old pilot!"  
  
"With a heart of gold," added a voice within, but not of Aeris. It sounded more like… more like his own mother. But she had been dead… for quite some time now!  
  
"Mother?" he asked her.  
  
"Yes my Son," she said, and he could not help but notice green light surround him as it seeped through every available crack. "I am here to inform you that this is by far the easiest decision you will have to make. The planet has chosen you to be… well the test subject."  
  
"Test?" Cid asked.  
  
"Yes. You see it is not over yet for this planet. It saved the lives of the people, but at the same time it has seen the evil that lurks within them as well. It has seen just what a human is capable of both evil and good. The planet chose you out of all of the AVALANCHE members because it felt that you started out with an equal balance of good and evil. Several tests have already been given… it is up to you to determine what happens next."  
  
"So wait just a damn minute Mother! You are telling me that now it is not only Aeris's life… but the life of every person that I hold?"  
  
"Yes my Son. I know it is a difficult burden to bear…but I also know that if anyone can do it that it would be you!"  
  
"But Mother… I still do not understand any of this!" he shouted. However, the green was now gone. The fate of the world's people belonged to him? This was all just so unfair. Why couldn't it have been Cloud or Red? He was sure to blow it!  
  
"Damn it all," Cid said shaking his head. "Damn everything. Damn the people, damn those two jackasses, damn everything! Damn, damn, damn! I should just watch over myself… I should just look out for me. But Aeris… DAMN!" He shouted, pounding his fist against the chair. To his shock, it splintered in shards across the floor.  
  
"Do you mind not destroying the furniture?" Rufus asked calmly as he walked back in the door.  
  
"DAMN YOU ALL!" Cid shouted, throwing another punch on the wall. "DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!"  
  
"Should I quiet him down?" Sephiroth asked.  
  
"Not yet Sephiroth," Rufus said, as he walked over to Cid with a new bundle. "I trust that you have made a decision by now?"  
  
"DAMN YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Cid yelled, pounding against the wall. But it did not help. He knew what he had to do. He stopped, and faced Rufus with a red face filled with anger.  
  
"Aren't we the little foul mouthed one?" Sephiroth asked.  
  
"SHUT UP YOU FUCKING JACKASS!" Cid retorted.  
  
"Your decision Mr. Highwind," Rufus said fingering his gun at one side. Cid sighed, and as much as he wanted to kill both of them merely hung his head.  
  
"Give me the damn uniform before I change my mind," he said between gritted teeth. Rufus smiled, handing Cid the dark blue bundle. "But know this: I hate your fucking ass, and I hate your fucking ass too Sephiroth! I wish you both were dead and that will not change no matter what I wear! Got it?"  
  
"Understood Cid," Rufus said with a smile. "We shall leave you to dress and then Sephiroth here will brief you. Understand?"  
  
"Yes," Cid said with a nod. He watched as the two left, feeling extremely dirty. But it was for the sake of Aeris and just as long as he did not have to hurt or even see his friends he would be all right. Right?  
  
He slipped off the gloves, revealing very scarred arms and hands. Nobody else knew these markings but him… nobody truly knew the Hells he had seen and went through. He took off his boots as well, sliding on the black shoes. How had they known his size? With a great grimace, he slid off his new goggles, and his jacket as well. He untied the loose scarf, and set it down with the other things. It felt like he was betraying his life. But if it was to save Aeris…  
  
He traded his pants for the solid blue ones, his shirt for a white one. The wounds on his chest were now stitched up, crudely but it worked just the same. He buttoned on the blue jacket, and slid on the black glasses. He noticed that they had even included a tiny mirror. Cid looked in it, and grimaced. He looked just like a damn Turk, just like a fucking damn Turk. He wanted to rip the uniform off and throw back on his clothing. He wanted to run as far as he could, back to the others. But if he did that…  
  
"Fuck them all," he muttered. "I want my life back. I want my world back. I want…"  
  
"Me, m, me. I, I , I. We all want things Cid but that does not change the present," Sephiroth said behind him. "You are a Turk now whether you like it or not. You work under me by my side for President Rufus. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes," Cid said, his head hung low.  
  
"Yes what Cid?"  
  
"Yes… Sir," Cid said, choking on the last word.  
  
"That is better Cid." Cid sighed, wishing there was something that he could do. Anything at this point would be nice, The world was depending upon him to have the heart of a hero. But did he? His mother had said he had as much evil in him as good. Did that mean that he could become evil? Oh dear God not again… never again…  
  
"Now here is the first order of business…"  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
To Hold the World  
  
"Okay Red… we are following you and there is still no sign of Cid!" Yuffie moaned. "Is your nose defective or something?" Red just gave her a heated look, then returned to sniffing.  
  
"Let's be nice Yuffie," Reeve said shaking his head.  
  
"I know we will find him… oh Cloud we must!" Aeris said, shaking her head. She clutched her rod now like she had before. She had been surprised that they had kept it all that time.  
  
"I know we will," Cloud reassured her.  
  
"Oh Cloud," Tifa muttered to herself. "Whatever would I do without you?" Barret however had heard her. He had always suspected she loved Cloud, and now he knew it. Why else would she be so jealous?  
  
"Sarcasm will help nobody," he told her. "You should be happy for them." Tifa just sighed, looking away from the couple.  
  
"Vincent… will we find Cid?" Shera asked.  
  
"I know we will," Vincent said. "I know he will be alive and unharmed. I…"  
  
"Guys! I found something!" Red yelled, drawing them all in a circle around. Yuffie picked up a flight jacket, one that was torn and stained with even more red then the old one. It was also burnt very badly, and they all knew it belonged to Cid. It did not help that the rest of his belongings lied there as well.  
  
"No… no it can't be!" Vincent yelled as he picked up the goggles… or what was left of them. The plastic had all melted together, the fabric in tatters.  
  
"It appears that way…" Reeve said bowing his head. Shera picked up the leather gloves, burnt as well.  
  
"Cid never took these off… even around me," she said as tears welled up in her eyes. Nobody could ignore the ashes around them either.  
  
"Oh Cid… you were a…" Cloud began, but he faltered.  
  
"Cid is not dead everyone," Aeris said, startling the entire group. "I can sense he is alive! Plus why would all of his clothing not be in ashes as well? I am telling you this is all some sick setup!"  
  
"Aeris is right," Vincent said pocketing the goggles.  
  
"But the gloves…" Shera said.  
  
"There has to be a reason for all of this," Reeve said. "But who would do all of this? Who would go through all of this trouble for Cid?"  
  
"We have no idea what his past held," Tifa said. "Did he ever tell you Shera?" Shera shook her head.  
  
"No… but I do know that he never takes his gloves off even at night. Perhaps he was injured or something…"  
  
"Perhaps someone has a vendetta against him," Red said.  
  
"Or maybe he had a shady past and now a bounty hunter has him!" Yuffie said. "Can you picture it? Cid the outlaw!"  
  
"Yuffie!" Vincent yelled. "This is no time to say things like this. You all continue the hunt. I shall see what I can find on his past. If I discover anything I will find you!"  
  
"Okay then!" Cloud said.  
  
"Good luck Vincent!" Aeris said. Everyone watched Vincent as he donned his wings and left the area.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nobody noticed the two men standing above them on a high cliff. "Well isn't that sweet Cid? They are all hunting for you!"  
  
"Shera…" Cid whispered, reaching out towards her. But he saw his own scarred hands and drew them back.  
  
"Now Vincent is determined to discover about your past as well. Is there anything there that he should not know? Anything that we should attempt to cover up for you?" Cid looked to his hands, striped like a tiger's in red scars and bullet marks as well.  
  
"No," he said folding his arms. "If he is meant to find out about my history then he will."  
  
"What would that be Cid? I doubt that you learned how to fly on your own! Funny, as I recall there used to be a very young war general whom every Turk reads about called General Highwind. It is where your ship got its name from in fact. Ever heard of the man?" Cid just glared at Sephiroth again.  
  
"I once knew the man yes. I wish I never did," he added.  
  
"Oh? Why not? He was a brilliant and very brave general who was well respected."  
  
"Look enough with the small talk. What are we to do next?" he asked.  
  
"Hmm… we will discuss it another time then. Yes, the next mission then. I am to train you on use of a gun. A spear will just never do as a Turk weapon. This is to be yours," Sephiroth handed Cid a very nice handgun, already loaded. Sephiroth watched with content as Cid placed it in his hand the proper way.  
  
"Damn no… I told myself I'd never hold one of these again," Cid said shaking his head.  
  
"Aeris's life depends on your performance Cid. Now show me what you an do. Hold back nothing." Cid sighed and held up the gun. He fired quickly and with efficiency that surprised Sephiroth. Cid did not seem to be surprised at all though as he pocketed the weapon. Written in bullet holes on a hanging Shinra sign were the letters CH written perfectly.  
  
"Is that good enough?" he asked.  
  
"You are better then Valentine!" Sephiroth said shaking his head. "Yet I never see you use a gun! Why not? It is obvious that you have used one before!"  
  
"As you can see I am not as good with a spear as I am with a gun. I will not kill normally with a spear. But if I hold a gun I can't help but make it a killing blow every time. It is how I was taught…"  
  
"You are better than I thought Cid! What else do you hold in there that I should know about?"  
  
"Nothing," Cid said quickly.  
  
"I can read minds Cid! Aeris depends on you being all of the Turk I know you can be, she counts on the truth. Now tell me what else should I know?" Cid sighed.  
  
"You are a twisted bastard… and I was once that bad. I am also well versed in the use of grenades, swords, bombs, knives, and hand to hand combat. I also am a strategist and former leader of several well known groups. I can pilot anything, and fix it as well." Sephiroth smiled, pleased.  
  
"What groups did you lead Cid?" Cid hung his head.  
  
"You must remember that my mother died when I was very young and my dad had left her when I was born. So I was left to fend for myself and I did not know what was right or wrong."  
  
"Hmm… I did not know that Cid. Go on."  
  
"I started out as a member of SOLDIER. I went on through the ranks, becoming a first class under the last name Highwind, after my dreams of the sky. I hid under a shaved head and glasses as I advanced. Soon I was the leader of the army… and I did a lot of things I regretted. I also lead the weapons department and the officers commission. I did a lot of things I regret to this day. But a near fatal injury I met a kind young nurse. My weapon killed her… and it was then I realized my mistake. I moved to the space department under my real name so I would never be bothered by evil bastards like you and that is where I learned my pilot skills. Are you happy now?"  
  
"Quite," Sephiroth said. "Who would have guessed you to be the great General Highwind? Your highly advanced weapons would kill thousands… and you yourself had quite the little record for deaths."  
  
"Enough of that!" Cid yelled. "That was then and this is now! I am a changed man. I am no longer General Highwind. I am just plain old Cid! Got that?" Sephiroth smiled.  
  
"Here you were calling me an inhuman monster. General Highwind killed quite a few followers for insubordination. I know in fact that what you have told me is only the tip of the iceberg. I just wish that someday I achieve that kind of excellence! Perhaps you should have been the leader!"  
  
"Damn it Sephiroth shut up! Now I have shown you what I can do. Is that it?"  
  
"Cid Highwind… General Highwind. Well this could prove to be very useful and fun! We are an army by ourselves but we need two more members. Do you know of anyone? Keep in mind that any lies will get Aeris death." Cid nodded, understanding the fact that Aeris hung on his every action. He shuddered as he thought upon the far past. What was worse was that he had missed the feeling of a gun in his hands. He had liked it! No! He would never go back to being like that again! "Cid…"  
  
"I know of the perfect Turks," Cid said. "Both of them were my underlings and almost as good as I was. They do not care who they are with so long as they get paid."  
  
"Wonderful, wonderful! Let us go get them!"  
  
"Yes Sephiroth," Cid said.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Now where do I even start?" Vincent asked himself. "I guess his own house!" Vincent glided himself through an open window, wondering what he would find. What did Cid hide underneath those gloves? A quick look around revealed that this was indeed supposed to be a storage room. With his golden claw, he picked open a safe. It only held a single item but it was enough: a nametag with General Highwind written on it.  
  
"General Highwind? Cid? It cannot be!" But there it was as clear as day. He searched the room, uncovering a few other personal items as well. Manuals, news articles, everything. But there was one item that particularly drew attention: General Highwind's personal journal.  
  
He flipped to the first entry and began to read. "I have taken up the name Highwind for as long as I can remember. I care not for my Father's name. That damn bastard left Mother to die after she gave me the name Cid and life. He tried to beg me for forgiveness once, but was quickly silenced with a gunshot. Do I feel sorry for him? Hell no! I hope his death serves as a lesson to those who betray me!" Cid had killed his own father?  
  
"I am tired of fiddling around with metal weapons. They are artificial and easy to destroy. No what I really am interested in is a living weapon. I want one that is highly intelligent, can use either his strength or weapon, and is capable of regeneration. I brought up the idea with that Dr. Hojo, and he agreed wholeheartedly. We have become close, for like me he has no use for damn ethics and morals. I gave him my plans, and waited for him to provide the body. He brought me the nearly dead body of a Vincent Valentine, and together with my knowledge and his we set to work." Vincent staggered back, shocked. Cid had helped create… no! Cid was a great man now! But that would explain why Cid was the only human never to flinch at the sight of a claw.  
  
"The men have taken to calling me Tiger! I have earned everyone of these scars I carry, I am not ashamed of the striped arms and hands I bear. Bullet holes… come on I could care less! Anyways, here is the running total just to keep track: 1,302 injured and 2,396 dead." Vincent closed the journal, his hand shaking. General Highwind had kept track of all of the deaths. This had to be some kind of novel or something. There was no way! There was no way that Cid could have done all of that! Come on! "I will not believe it!" Vincent yelled. "I will not! I…" It was then he spotted an album. He opened it to find a picture of General Highwind and Hojo. There was no question of it… Cid's face was exactly the same. He turned further to find a picture of himself on the table, the General and Hojo in front.  
  
"Oh Cid I had no idea…" He said. He knew himself how hard it was after being so evil. As a Turk he had also killed without question. But after this had happened… no wonder they had wanted Cid. Everyone would want a person like that! But could these people make Cid into the General again? Inside the album, he found an old floppy. Vincent pulled it out, and within seconds had a nearby computer running to see what it contained.  
  
"If you have found this then you know my secret. I was the General Highwind, destroyer and heartless fiend. On this disk you shall discover all of my plans and weapons. Destroy them… as I do not have the will to. One day I shall make it up by going to the stars and beyond, giving mankind the knowledge they crave. Until then I can only pray that the Heavens have mercy on my soul." Vincent clicked upon a file named Vincent… and there he found everything. Everything he had ever wanted to know… right there.  
  
"So I can reverse everything…" he said with wonder. Curious, he did as the diagram showed on how to remove the claw. To his shock, it indeed did click off. He held onto it with his new hand, amazed. He never would have known. He then removed the bindings around his mouth. With the same movement, he removed the metal that had been implanted there as well.  
  
"I thought that… I am still human…" he said with wonder. "I never was the beast I thought. It was all covering…" He smiled for the first time, very pleased.  
  
"I shall never forgive myself for what I have done to Vincent," the disk continued. "But theses steps can make it right. Do not forgive me, for I do not deserve it. I do not deserve friends, I do not deserve anything. I can never forgive, never forget. Cid Highwind." Vincent shook all over with revelation and shock. Should he tell the others?  
  
What if… what if Rufus was still alive? Rufus would want the Turks again… no way! Cid would never betray them no matter what kind of person he had been. He was a totally different person now right?  
  
"I thought myself a monster for what I had done," Vincent said. "I thought nobody would understand… and now I realize just how little I know! I must find him!" Vincent pocketed the nametag, before leaving the area behind. He only hoped he would not be too late.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"This is the place," Cid said donning his glasses. "But no questions from you Sephiroth. This is hard enough already."  
  
"Agreed Cid. Proceed." Cid nodded, and knocked upon the door. It was an expensive house, and it showed the wealth that this man, Lieutenant Meyers, had achieved.  
  
"Who is there?" a raspy voice asked. Cid noticed a green eye peer through the peephole, so he removed his glasses.  
  
"Hello there Meyers. This is Highwind," Cid said, but Sephiroth noted it was a different tone. Cid sounded more authoritative, like he was the one in charge.  
  
"Highwind!" Meyers shouted, throwing open the door. "Come in, come in!"  
  
"Thank you Meyers," Cid said. "This is my colleague. I hope that you do not mind him."  
  
"Of course not Highwind. If you have him then I have him. Now come in," Cid nodded, and headed to an extra chair. Sephiroth took the couch, so he could watch the two interact. He was curious as to the type of person that Cid withheld.  
  
"Highwind I thought that I would never see you again. Rumor had it that you had left the business for good. We could not have that… you are the best!"  
  
"Hmm… what else did you assume about me?" he asked.  
  
"Well some dumbasses thought that you had actually gone all soft and were saving lives under the name Cid Highwind. You know the uh…"  
  
"Yes, I have heard of this Cid Highwind."  
  
"You are not him are you? I mean if you do not mind me asking."  
  
"Cid Highwind has been killed," Cid said.  
  
"No way! By who?"  
  
"Who else Meyers. I was sick of him using my last name like that anyways. But I come here to offer you the chance to be in the new Turks as we put Rufus back as President."  
  
"What is in this for me Highwind?" Meyers asked.  
  
"Money… and a lot of it Meyers. So what do you say?"  
  
"You have a deal," Meyers said. The two men shook his hands, and Sephiroth noted how Cid even pulled off a pleased look. "It shall be nice to work with you again Highwind."  
  
"Yes Meyers. The same." Sephiroth was amazed by how well Cid was playing the part. Cid could convince a man to do anything! There was truly a wealth of knowledge in there! But the question was how long could they hold his own life over him? Or would he just stop resisting and fall back into the part of General Highwind?  
  
"So what have you been doing this past few years Highwind? We heard about a bad accident and then that was it. After you left it was never the same. We had all of these bleeding hearts and wussies running SOLDIER! That was when I left."  
  
"I guess you could say that I was honing my skills even finer," he said. "This world just does not appreciate the fine art of death!"  
  
"Amen to that!" Sephiroth said smiling. This was truly fun. Rufus was missing it. "What is even better Meyers is that Highwind here is the one that is going to kill Cloud Strife!" For a moment Cid's face paled, but Meyers did not seem to notice.  
  
"Well if he took care of that bastard Cid then Cloud should be no trouble at all!"  
  
"Yes… my sentiments exactly. He is to kill Cloud while the rest of us take down the other AVALANCHE members."  
  
"Nobody informed me of this," Cid said still very much pale.  
  
"A surprise Highwind. But it should not prove that difficult. All we have to do is recruit the last member of our ranks and we can begin." Cid took a deep gulp and choked out,  
  
"Mind if I use the restroom Meyers?"  
  
"Not at all." Cid nodded his thanks and headed to the bathroom.  
  
"This has all gone too far," he told the mirror after he had shut the door. To his shock his saw a memory of himself, a reflection. There he was in uniform again, a shaved head and piercing look in his eyes.  
  
"Not far enough I would say," the refection said. You know you miss the power. You miss being the leader, the General. Admit it!"  
  
"No!" Cid said. "I am Cid Highwind. General Highwind is dead!"  
  
"A mirror never lies General," the mirror said mockingly. "You did not see Cid, you saw me! You saw the General in all of his glory!"  
  
"No! I am Cid! Cid you hear me?"  
  
"Stop denying it General. You are so much stronger than this! You are the General Highwind, feared and reviled by all! Your name means death! You are not to be messed with but feared!"  
  
"The name Cid Highwind is respected as well," Cid retorted.  
  
"The sooner that you give in the better you will be. To Hell with the others! All that you need is yourself and a good smoke right?"  
  
"All of that has changed now General," Cid said calmly. "I am not the man I was, I never will be."  
  
"Face it you like the killing General."  
  
"Damn it stop calling me that!" Cid yelled, clenching his fists. "The name is Cid, Cid Highwind! I get my power in the friendships I create not by killing as I used to. So get used to it because I will never be you again!"  
  
"We shall see," the General said, before fading out of sight.  
  
"Damn… I think I just added to his resolve," Sephiroth said to himself. "I was sure that the little mind games would work. He is stronger then I thought but now he must play the role for his comrades…"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ah Dark Nation, Rufus said stroking the ebony head of his mechanical cat. "Everything is as it should be. Once the Turks are gathered and they destroy AVALANCHE I shall rule again. Sephiroth was right… Cid has proven to be quite useful. Who knew that he was the General. Why it was him that created you my pet," he smiled at the thought.  
  
"Why Master did he wish to keep that a secret?" Dark Nation asked.  
  
"Who knows Dark Nation…" he said. "Who knows."  
  
"Well his other pet misses him as much as I do!"  
  
"Other pet Dark Nation?" Rufus asked amused. "Who would that be?"  
  
"Black Seas," Dark Nation said. "Shall I call for him?" Rufus nodded in reply, and closed his ears as the cat let out a screech. Within seconds a canine form of Dark Nation appeared, about the size of a mastiff.  
  
"You called?"  
  
"Yes I did," Rufus said with a nod. "I want to know what do you know of General Highwind?"  
  
"He created me and Dark Nation. I miss him, for he used to take me out into battle with him We made quite the team we did. I was his dog, to stand beside him no matter what."  
  
"Black Seas we have located him."  
  
"He is alive? Then why did he leave me?"  
  
"That is up to you to find out Black Seas…"  
  
"I will not fail!" Black Seas said. Rufus watched the dog fly out, pleased.  
  
"That will prove useful Dark Nation thank you…"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So all four of the new Turks stood before President Rufus, a group as deadly as well Meteor. Sephiroth in a suit, long silver hair flowing behind him and the masasume blade at his waist. Meyers stood there with his green eyes and brown hair, a man as stocky as Heideggar had been but by far more deadly. The type of person with no conscience. Next was a man named Smith. Smith had black hair and brown eyes. He was rather plain and not even very muscular. Rather he was lithe, but it was that that made him the perfect sniper and spy. Then there was Cid, in the worst position ever. Meyers and Smith respected him, looked up to him even.  
  
'Damn it,' he thought. 'I told myself that I would never see these two bastards again and here I am standing beside them. Fighting beside them. Cruel joke this little reunion is. Only one missing is…'  
  
"There is one last member of the team," Rufus said with a smile. He snapped his fingers, and Black Seas came strolling in. Cid remembered all too clearly what he had built Black Seas to be capable of. Hell he had seen it too often.  
  
"Black Seas!" The other two said all too kindly, patting the dog on the back. But the dog glared directly at Cid, and he could see the sadness there.  
  
"General… I missed you," he said. "I thought you were dead yet here you are. You are the General right?" Cid looked at the dog's pleading eyes, and realized that the dog had missed him. He was hesitant, but he knew that the life of Aeris depended on every move that he made. One false move, one indication that Cid would betray them and…  
  
"Do I look that much different Black Seas?" he asked. Black Seas smiled, and fell into place beside Cid.  
  
"Nothing will ever separate us now General! You and I… and the rest of the Turks will bring our enemies down to their knees!"  
  
"All right that is enough," Rufus interrupted. "So here we all are, the new Turks. We are going to bring down this Mayor Reeve and AVALANCHE. The first part of our mission is to destroy AVALANCHE. Highwind has taken care of Cid, so that leaves eight others including Cloud Strife. Now men remember this: you hold the fate of the world in your hands. The outcome of your mission determines everything that is to come. Remember that." Cid nodded to himself. Yes, he did hold the world in his hands. But it was a fate that he was not so sure of. Hell, he wasn't sure of anything now. It did not help with Black Seas looking up at him either.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Head over Hells  
  
"So that is everything," Vincent said as he finished telling his story to the others.  
  
"Damn man this is all too strange," Barret said shaking his head.  
  
"It's like reality has been flipped over. No offense Vinnie but you have always been well… rather scary! Then you come here looking all normal and stuff. Then you tell us this story and now good old Cid looks like the monster or something!"  
  
"Yuffie!" Red said, noticing the tears in Shera's eyes. "For once in your life show some tact!" He indicated Shera with a paw, and seeing her face Yuffie blushed.  
  
"Oh… I uh…"  
  
"What is important is that Cid is different now," Cloud said with certainty. "We all know that he is no longer like General Highwind!" Reeve furrowed his brow in thought.  
  
"Yes… but the potential for evil always lurks within even the kindest man heart…" At this, Shera burst into tears.  
  
"Guys! Have some heart!" Red yelled.  
  
"None of this yelling or crying will get us back Cid," Vincent said. "Now this is only hypothetical but what if Rufus survived the explosion?"  
  
"But nobody could survive that!" Tifa said.  
  
"Rufus was the boss… he would know that building inside and out. Come on… do you really think some explosion would kill him? He was much too smart for that! What do you think he would try to do once he regained strength?"  
  
"Well…" Reeve said, "He would need the Turks. But I seriously doubt he would use the old ones after all of this. So he would want to recruit new ones and then try to overthrow me."  
  
Vincent nodded. "Exactly. Now that we know what Cid could do we know that he would be a perfect candidate right?"  
  
"Plus he was kidnapped and all…" Barret added.  
  
"Then they made him look dead probably so we would stop looking for him," Red said.  
  
"But Cid would never be a Turk! He would sooner eat his flight jacket then betray us!" Shera yelled.  
  
"But the General would have no problem with it. He would like it!" Yuffie pointed out.  
  
"Yuffie!" Red yelled, as Shera went to crying again.  
  
"Well… it's true!"  
  
"Actually I think that they are making him become a Turk by holding something very dear over his head. Something like a friend or…"  
  
"That has to be it!" Shera said wiping off her tears. "Cid would never… Cid may curse a lot and smoke a pack an hour but he is a good man!"  
  
"But Rufus will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants," Reeve said shaking his head. "If he wants Cid to be the General then…"  
  
"We can't think like that Reeve," Cloud said. "Look I… I may not have known Cid as long as Shera, none of us have. But we know him as he is now and he is a good… no a great man. He helped us all survive that last encounter, he was with me on that chunk of rock as we destroyed Sephiroth! He never flinched, never wavered. Swear yes but he was always there when we needed him. Now he needs us!"  
  
"Exactly Cloud!" Vincent said. "No matter what we discover we must continue on. Cid needs us now more then ever!"  
  
"But where would we look?" Tifa asked.  
  
"Well… the Galian Beast I become has a sense of smell almost as good as Red's. We can split up… half with me the other half with Red. We can let the other group know with a howl. Sound okay?"  
  
"What other plan do we have?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"All right then," Vincent said. He summoned the beast within him, until he stood with purple hide and horns. He got down upon all fours, and sat beside Red.  
  
"Okay," Cloud said. "Aeris, Reeve, and I will follow Vincent. Barret, you Tifa, Yuffie, and Shera follow Red. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "Good, then hope to see you soon."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Damn I need a whole case of smokes," Cid said to himself as he sat in his room. "But oh no! Damn it! One pack a day and I am all out and…"  
  
"Need a smoke?" Sephiroth asked as he teleported into Cid's room.  
  
"I wouldn't accept anything from you bas…"  
  
"That's another thing," Sephiroth said as he sat down beside Cid on the bed. "Wherever did you learn to curse like that? It is certainly very unTurklike."  
  
"No way in Hell would I give up cursing Sephiroth. No way in bloody fu…"  
  
"Would you stop that Cid? Look Aeris depends on you pulling off this whole thing all right?" It was then Cid thought of something.  
  
"But isn't the mission to kill AVALANCHE… even Aeris?" Cid asked with a smile. "Wouldn't that make this whole charade pretty DAMN pointless. I mean bloody FUCK Sephiroth am I supposed to sit here and be a DAMN Turk to save Aeris only to kill her myself?"  
  
"That is what I need to discuss Cid. You see I don't know about you but Rufus gets on my nerves. He thinks that I belong to him. He thinks that this world belongs to him! How wrong he is! Even though my mother may be dead…"  
  
"She is alive."  
  
"Don't lie to me Cid. You killed her with Cloud!" Cid smiled.  
  
"You know, even a SHIT eating mother FUCKING BASTARD deserves to know the truth we uncovered about you."  
  
"What truth?" Sephiroth asked rather nervously.  
  
"JENOVA is hardly your mother Sephiroth. Hojo and Lucretia had a child, and Lucretia and the baby were injected with JENOVA cells. You are as human as Cloud is. Granted I do not know which way is worse but I figured even a backstabbing, two timing, selfish ASS needs to know." Sephiroth looked deep into Cid's eyes, and he knew the old pilot told the truth.  
  
"They all lied to me…" he said.  
  
"Truth can be a real BITCH can't it? But Lucretia was barely alive when we saw her, and I know that her only concern was for you and Vincent."  
  
"JENOVA lied to me," Sephiroth said shaking his head. "Hojo stabbed me in the back…"  
  
"Like how it feels Sephy? Pretty damn ironic if you ask me!"  
  
"I am as human as the next man…" Sephiroth said shaking his head. "Well there is only one way to fix all of this."  
  
"What would that be?" Cid asked.  
  
"We must kill them all Cid."  
  
"No more DAMN killing! Geez, I have had enough of that to last a FUCKING lifetime!"  
  
"If we do not kill Rufus, these Turks, and any of their allies then they can continue to ruin more lives!"  
  
"No more deaths," Cid said firmly. "Look am I supposed to believe that you would just throw away your past beliefs and even care about others in a second decision? You stabbed me once…"  
  
"I am sorry for that…"  
  
"I am sure that you are," Cid said sarcastically.  
  
"Look Cid I know you hate them as much as I do!"  
  
"To do this would be to stab my colleagues in the back!" Cid said. "I cannot do so willingly!"  
  
"The lives of the many Cid or the lives of a few? It is all up to you. But I should warn you I do have a wild card in case you do not cooperate."  
  
"What would that be?" Cid asked. It was as if this was already planned…  
  
"Cid remember what I did to Cloud? Now you have a trace of JENOVA but it is enough. I can return you to the General's state of mind just so you would kill without regret for a price. Then I would merely kill you too."  
  
"I know you are pretty damn powerful but there is no way that you can fucking do that!" Cid yelled.  
  
"Then I see we need convincing. I would saw five minutes should be enough. But Cid you will remember everything, I will make sure of that. Believe me Cid… you will beg me to let you kill the others after this."  
  
Before Cid could move Sephiroth gabbed his arm. Cid felt a pain rush to his mind and then…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Damn it Sir let go of my arm," the General said roughly, pushing Sephiroth away. "So you want me to off the rest of the Turks and Rufus… is that right?" he asked. Sephiroth nodded.  
  
"Yes… and anyone else we find involved in this little charade of theirs."  
  
"What is in this for me Sephiroth? My skills are in demand and all and…"  
  
"I understand that and all…"  
  
"Don't interrupt me if you value your damn life," the General said, eyes blazing. "I have killed men for less."  
  
"I understand," Sephiroth said with a nod. "Would 5 million gil be enough?" The General nodded.  
  
"Yes that would do… for now. The mother fuckers will not know what hit them I…" Without warning, Sephiroth reached out and grabbed the General's arm again…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cid stared at Sephiroth, sweat pouring down his face. "Damn it man…" he said to himself. "He… he didn't even care."  
  
"Yes… and to think you were like that Cid. Now do we have a deal or not?" Cid thought a moment, pondering over his options. He had to do something about all of this… something that old Sephiroth would never expect. Think man, think!  
  
"I will work with you on this Sephiroth," he said concealing a smile.  
  
"Excellent! Tomorrow's staff meeting then?"  
  
"Sure, why not? Just give me the signal tomorrow and we will begin. Now… will you leave me so I can get some sleep?"  
  
"All right. Get your rest… we do not know what kind of fight to expect." Cid watched Sephiroth leave, then turned to his phone.  
  
'Damn thing is bugged… but that is easy enough to fix. Since I made these things anyways I know how to keep it beeping but unable to send conversations. Hope this works… if not I will be in over my head…'  
  
Chapter Four  
  
My Kingdom for Another Second  
  
It was not long before Red's party came to the Shinra sign. "Will you look at that," Red said with amazement picking his nose up.  
  
"Damn… that is some fine markmanship!" Barret exclaimed.  
  
"Do you think old Vinnie would have some target practice?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"But then why CH?" asked Red.  
  
"I don't know!" Yuffie yelled. "Maybe for champion or something? I mean who knows how egotistical the guy is!"  
  
"Somehow I doubt that," Red said shaking his head.  
  
"You know… CH are also Cid's initials…" Barret pointed out.  
  
"But Cid has never picked up a gun!" Shera said. "In fact he forbid one to ever enter his house!"  
  
"But we do not know if he knew how to use them or not! He was the General after all. Plus guns are the Turks' weapon of choice. After all I doubt they would let him use a spear!" Yuffie said.  
  
"Damn it she can be intellectual!" Barret said with surprise.  
  
"Watch it," Yuffie muttered.  
  
"We do not even know that Rufus is alive!" Shera yelled. "We do not know that he is a Turk! I doubt that he could do that! You all do not know him! I do!" With that, Shera burst into tears again and set off running. "I shall find him on my own!" she shouted.  
  
"Should we go after her?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"Let her do what she feels she has to," Red said. "I wonder if the other team has found anything yet…"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I can't believe this… we have spent hours walking and still no sign of him at all," Cloud said shaking his head.  
  
"Vincent are you sure he went this way?" Reeve asked. "I mean no offense but these loafers are killing me and…"  
  
"I am positive!" Vincent growled, drawing Reeve to be silent again. "Look we just need to press on. We can't give up when Cid is at stake here!"  
  
"Do not be so angry Vincent," Aeris said quietly. "Reeve is partially right. It is starting to get dark and we need shelter. A rest will do us all some good I think."  
  
"Some of us more than others," Cloud said with an eager smile as he wrapped his hands around Aeris.  
  
"Not until we are married," Aeris said.  
  
"Damn," Cloud muttered.  
  
"Um gang… what is that?" Reeve asked pointing to an object in the distance. Vincent leaped ahead, and gave a small whistle. The others followed… and immediately wished that they had not. There was a chocobo… dead. But it was the matter of its death, and the fact it was a gold chocobo that disturbed Cloud the most.  
  
"I know of only one who can kill like that…" Cloud said shaking his head as Aeris knelt beside it. "But we killed him! I know it!"  
  
"Hmm… we know that Cloud but here is the evidence! Sephiroth must be alive!" Reeve said.  
  
"This is not right," Vincent said as he clutched a bestial hand. "To think Cid is probably mixed up in all of this…"  
  
Meanwhile Aeris set her hand upon the golden chocobo's heart. "Rest in peace my friend," she said. She closed her eyes, and with a simple gravity spell buried the chocobo. Sephiroth alive though? How? Unless… was he given a second chance too? Then he would know of what Cid did… it was then Aeris realized what happened. "He had sold his life so she could live! But he did not know? She already had her life… if he died she would live!  
  
'I WOULD LIVE!' Aeris sent to Cid in desperation. "We must go!" she shouted to the others. They nodded, and despite the darkness continued to run.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cid had been asleep when he had received the message. "You would live?" he inquired, but Aeris did not respond. Well that did change things then. Cid knew what he had to do… and he knew that this could very well be his final flight. His life did not matter now.  
  
"Cid that is not true," his mother whispered to him.  
  
"Mother? I know, I know. Things are not going very well here. I am counting on what Sephiroth will do tomorrow. But what if he stabs me again? What if he does bring General alive again. Mother I do not want to be like that again!"  
  
"I know that Sin. But remember who you are Cid. I know who you are… but do you is the question. By the way, your father wishes you luck."  
  
"Father?" Cid asked.  
  
"Yes. He repented for real back then… he regrets everything and he wishes you good luck."  
  
"Damn it," Cid said shaking his head.  
  
"Oh… and do your mother a favor Son."  
  
"What is that?" he asked.  
  
"Do try to quit all that cursing." With that, he felt her presence leave. All depended upon tomorrow. Everything depended upon him. He had already placed the calls… the trap was set. He drifted back to sleep… only to be met by another familiar face above him.  
  
"Are you awake General?" Black Seas asked.  
  
"Well I am now," Cid muttered. "What do you want anyway?"  
  
"I was just wondering… why did you leave me? I mean I was always by your side and all…" Cid sighed as he looked into the soulful eyes.  
  
"I know, I know. The truth is… the truth is… damn it man!"  
  
"The truth is what General?"  
  
"You will find out Black Seas. But do me a favor… do not get in my way." Black Seas stepped back a moment, hurt.  
  
"Oh I see…"  
  
"I did not mean it like that!" Cid said. "Just you will see. For now… would you like to sleep on the bed?"  
  
Black Seas smiled, a lifelong ambition coming true. "Would I ever!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Okay troops your mission is clear," Rufus said, but Cid barely heard a word said. He was watching Sephiroth closely, until finally he gave the signal as a hand motion. At this, police suddenly swarmed the area.  
  
"You tricked us!" Sephiroth yelled. "But this is easily remedied…" He grabbed Cid's hands and was surprised by the resistance.  
  
"Not this time Sephiroth," Cid said with a smile. "I know who I am. I am Cid Highwind! Do you hear that? I AM CID HIGHWIND!" All of the others were subdued… except for the two mechanical creatures.  
  
"I knew it!" Meyers yelled, as he was dragged into a car. Dark Nation was about to free Rufus from his cuffs when a massive Bolt spell form one of the cops sent the creature to his knees.  
  
"How could you General?" Black Seas yelled. "You betrayed us all!"  
  
"Wrong," Cid yelled as with a motion he tore free of Sephiroth. "Because I was never with you! I am a part of AVALANCHE! I am CID HIGHWIND and I am damn proud of it!"  
  
"Then you deserve whatever happens to you," Black Seas muttered as a bolt spell sent his sprawling. "You deserve it!"  
  
"Sorry Black Seas," he said. "But you are right. Whatever happens I do deserve it…" He turned to Sephiroth, eyes glaring. "Now to take care of you," Cid scowled. "Everyone leave!"  
  
"But what about you?" an officer asked. "That is Sephiroth!"  
  
"Now!" Cid yelled. "Tell Shera I love her!"  
  
Sephiroth smiled. "I knew you would pull something like this. But are you prepared to die for it?"  
  
"If that is the way so be it." He had tried to stall, for just another second. He knew somebody would find him… he knew the others had not given up. Just one more second…  
  
Then he saw Shera…  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Final Flight  
  
"Cid! Hang on!" Shera shouted.  
  
"Ah, a visitor," Sephiroth said. "Can't have that can we?" He lunged towards Shera, but Cid lunged as well. The sword cut through Cid's shoulder, merely grazing Shera.  
  
"Cid!" Shera shouted at the sight of Cid's blood falling to the ground.  
  
"Damn you that hurt," Cid muttered. "Why not try this on?" He fired his pistol, hitting Sephiroth's hand and knocking out the blade.  
  
"I do not need that for trash like you!" Sephiroth shouted.  
  
"Catch Cid!" shouted Cloud's voice. Cid saw his spear fly through the air, and caught it with ease. He noticed Reeve pick up the masasume and with a fire spell start to melt it down. Reeve was wearing a big smile… damn pyromaniac.  
  
"Get Shera out of here!" Cid shouted. "All of you go! It is my fault he is here and I must deal with him alone!" Cloud nodded, as he grabbed up Shera.  
  
"Cid you do not have to do this," Aeris said.  
  
"My fault, my responsibility," Cid muttered.  
  
"Are you through?" Sephiroth shouted.  
  
"Yes," Cid said. To his shock, Sephiroth grabbed the spear and hurtled it away.  
  
"No weapons…" he yelled. Cid smiled, and showed Sephiroth a small sphere of material he had just taken from the spear.  
  
"Just so I know, which one is that?" Sephiroth asked folding his arms.  
  
"Ultima," Cid said. "Mastered Ultima."  
  
"You fool! The damage to the area would kill you too!"  
  
"I know," Cid said simply. "Why do you think I had everyone leave? I had faith they would come and bring me my spear. I knew they would give me the material to get the job done."  
  
"You knew you were going to die?"  
  
"Consider this my final flight… and yours. ULTIMA!!!"  
  
"NOOOO!" Sephiroth shouted, but his cries were strangled as the energy hit him. Cid knew Sephiroth was no more. But he nowhere to run, nowhere to hide as the building started to collapse. Three stories was a long way down.  
  
"Damn it Shera! I love you!" he shouted. "Don't expect me to repeat it!" He spread open his arms as he fell, enjoying for a moment the wind in his hair. It was like he was on the Tiny Bronco as he shut his eyes.  
  
"Cid you can open your eyes!" he heard Barret's voice say. Cid opened his eyes to find Barret, Yuffie, Tifa, and Red, with Barret piloting the Tiny Bronco. Who had fixed it? Cid looked around him to find himself sitting one the wing.  
  
"Well holy Shit I am alive!" Cid said. "Barret you better move over before I…"  
  
"I know old coot, I know," Barret said.  
  
"Old coot? Why I oughtta…"  
  
Epilogue  
  
A Life Worth Living  
  
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the preacher said to Cid and Shera. "You may kiss the bride."  
  
"Of course!" Cid said. He lifted the veil, and gave a very impressive show.  
  
"If only you were that good Cloud!" giggled Aeris.  
  
"About to find out," Cloud said adjusting his tux.  
  
"You too may kiss your bride," the preacher said turning to Cloud. Cloud smiled widely and tried his best to upstage Cid.  
  
"Wow… I love a happy ending!" Barret said.  
  
"Happy for who?" muttered Tifa.  
  
Cid saw from the corner of his eye his mother and father. "You did good Son," Mother said. "The world is saved… explore it with her!" Vincent just smiled as he stood best man. Sometimes, life was good.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sephiroth smiled as he watched Rufus and the others slave away in jail. "Yes, I thought I did well too," he said to nobody. "Someday they will know… that is when they return home…" With that a green light enveloped him, and he returned to the Lifestream.  
  
The End  
  
I hope that you enjoyed this tale. I like a happy ending, and I hope this is what that was. Anyways, I would love comments and feedback. You can mail me at siriusstar13@yahoo.com mailto:siriusstar13@yahoo.com. Thanks! Sirius. 


End file.
